Triple homicide discovered in Ontario neighborhood

ONTARIO - Three men were shot to death early Monday in the 1000 block of South Magnolia Avenue.

Police officers discovered a man about 6:15 a.m. with a gunshot wound lying in a driveway. Someone who lives nearby called police.

In a residence in the back of the property, officers discovered two more men with gunshot wounds.

Police had not released the names of any of the men.

Detectives expected to work through the night looking for evidence, Sgt. David McBride said.

A resident who asked to remain anonymous said the house has had problems for months.

"There has been lots of activity at the house," the resident said. "People leaving and people coming."

The woman said she thinks the "Mexican Mafia may have been involved. They are very active in the neighborhood."

The block on which the deaths occurred is lined with single-family houses, some of which have second houses in the rear.

Some residents heard the shooting early Monday.

"I heard the gunshots just before 2 a.m.," another neighbor said.

The neighbor said the Mexican Mafia, a prison gang, runs rampant in the area.

"They do their drug deals out in plain sight," the neighbor said. "You can tell who they are because of that black hand tattooed on their neck."

McBride said detectives were unsure if the killings were gang-related.

In August, authorities arrested several members of the Mexican Mafia and La Familia Michoacana, a Mexican drug cartel, in the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. Seven Ontario residents were arrested, and drugs were found in a house in the 900 block of Nocta Street in Ontario.

Anyone with information on the shootings can call Detective Gary Naranjo at 909-395-2764.